


I'm Gonna Stand By You

by Iron_Eirlyssa (Eirlyssa), Trashcanakin



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Demons, Bucky Barnes's Metal Arm, Canon-Typical Violence, CapRBB, Fluff, Gaslighting, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Obadiah Is Awful, Protective Bucky Barnes, Protective Natasha Romanov, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-15
Updated: 2019-06-15
Packaged: 2020-05-12 08:19:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19225288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eirlyssa/pseuds/Iron_Eirlyssa, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trashcanakin/pseuds/Trashcanakin
Summary: Tony had been in Hell for a long time, trying to get enough Karma to be able to apply for rebirth. At least he's got the support of both Obie and Natasha, although things keep going wrong with the things he invents.Then Natasha asks him to help out a friend of hers. One with a metal arm that's been bothering him.After that, everything changes.





	I'm Gonna Stand By You

**Author's Note:**

> First of all, thank you _so much_ to the absolutely amazing, awe-inspiring [Trashie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trashcanakin) for the gorgeous art that inspired this story and for cheering me on. I’m still so incredibly happy (and honored) that I got to write something for your art!
> 
> I would also like to thank both the incredibly sweet and helpful [Gabby](https://archiveofourown.org/users/gabby227) and the most adorable and supportive [Mei](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sleepoverwork) for proofreading this story and for their enthusiasm about it. Thank you both for encouraging me and ironing out the imperfections ❤
> 
> Finally, the title of this story is based off the song ' _Stand By You_ ' by Rachel Platten.
> 
> Without further ado, I hope you all enjoy this story!

☙ 🔥 ❧ 

It was nearly time again, at least for the Fire Demons, for rebirth requests. Summer Solstice was about to come around, and with it, there was a definite upswing in positive actions by his fellow Fires.

Of course, Tony had considered it. He did every year, after all. But he also knew there was no way he would have enough Karma to even be considered for one of the coveted spots that would give him a chance to prove himself worthy of the Elysian Fields. No matter what he did, it always seemed to turn out badly, and he’d gotten enough of a reputation that most other Demons, Fire and Shadow alike, refused his help even when he offered. And as much as he hated it, Tony had become rather suspicious of the ones that _did_ accept, considering his assistance tended to result in injuries or even death. Somehow, every time it seemed like his assistance would be _warped_ somehow into becoming bad.

During all of his years, the only bright spot had been Obie, who had stayed by his side for all of it. Despite the fact that he no doubt had more than enough Karma to practically be guaranteed a spot, he always assured Tony that he was fine staying in Hell, being with him.

There had been times where he’d almost begged Obie to take his chance, to be reborn as a human and to earn the happy afterlife that he deserved, but his not-father kept refusing to leave his side. And Tony felt bad, but he was pathetically grateful for it as well. No matter what went wrong, Obie was always there to tell him that he still cared, no matter what Tony had messed up this time.

Around the Solstice, he was always reminded of Rhodey and Pepper, who had both applied for rebirth. Since they were both amazing, of course it had been granted, and they had never come back. He hoped the both of them were happy in the Fields now, and as much as it ached, he didn’t regret following Obie’s suggestions to push them away so they would apply. Flames, he’d tried with Obie himself, but the other Demon had known exactly what he was doing and looked at him indulgently, telling him that no matter what Tony did to push him away, he’d never want to leave his not-son’s side.

Tony sighed. Understandable though it was, his maudlin thoughts tended to keep him from working, and there was little use to being in his forge today. His lack of focus meant his flames were unreliable, too hot one moment and then nearly fading another, which would only result in shoddy work. With everything that Obie had done for him, he deserved only the best, although he knew his not-father would pretend that it was his best work ever even if he did mess it up.

Rather than stay at the forge, where he wouldn’t be able to stop thinking about everything, Tony decided to go out for a bit. Perhaps the exercise, as well as the various sights, would help to distract him a little.

Despite being a Fire himself, he mostly preferred the soothing atmosphere of the Shadow Demons. The flames could be nice, and he thrived on the life and light of it, but especially in his more introspective moods, the dark felt like it helped a lot more. And perhaps he could pay a visit to Natasha, considering she tended to stick to the dark when she had no obligation to be near the flames. If nothing else, she would be able to distract him.

He grimaced a little at the wary looks thrown at him by the other Fires. He knew he had a reputation, knew his face was known everywhere (not to mention the fact that his golden horns, though not the largest, were not easy to hide), but it was a painful reminder of all of the reasons he’d probably never be going to the Fields despite his best intentions.

When it came to that, he knew Natasha understood him. She hadn’t known much of anything else at first, but the murders she’d committed on humans and Demons alike now meant that she had a long way to go to even start compensating for the negative Karma she’d accumulated back then, let alone gather enough to get a chance to be reborn.

If one were to ask Tony, it wasn’t fair - they’d taken her and hurt her until she didn’t know better than to do what she had. She hadn’t said much about it, always hesitant about sharing her suffering, but he had seen the look in her eyes.

Ever since, he’d been trying to help her out and make things a little more bearable to her, and from the way she acted towards him, he thought he might have succeeded. If nothing else, she smiled a lot more since they’d started spending more time together, and he was glad to see that she seemed a bit more animated now. And no matter how much he was currently feeling a bit down himself, he would try his best to make sure he wouldn’t bother her too much with it.

Finally, he noticed Natasha in the distance, sitting on the cliffside she preferred when spending time alone. She appeared deep in thought, though he was relieved to see she wasn’t frowning as she often did when thinking about her past.

Lightening his tread as much as possible and sticking to the walls whenever he could, he approached her from behind. Tony stretched out a hand to touch her shoulder.

Then, almost before he noticed her moving, there was a knife aimed at him. "What did I tell you about sneaking up on me?"

By the time she'd turned around fully to face him, Tony was grinning. "To always keep trying, because it's a useful skill to have?"

For a few seconds, her face remained neutral, green eyes assessing him. Then she smiled faintly, an expression that would be a wide grin on others. "Very good," she told him, nodding approvingly. "You got a lot closer this time."

That was very true, considering Natasha usually noticed him coming. To be fair, his clothes didn't exactly help him blend into the shadows whatsoever, considering his preference for red and gold. Tony narrowed his eyes. "You were _distracted_ ," he accused. Natasha was never distracted - with her past, she had a tendency towards hypervigilance if anything. "What's wrong? Anything I can do to help?"

Of all the Demons, Natasha and Obie were the only two he had absolutely no hesitation helping out when they needed anything. He knew they would never turn whatever he gave them into a bad thing, after all.

He did know that both of them often refused anyway - Obie because he didn't want to pressure Tony, and Natasha because she didn't want to owe anyone anything. Despite the fact that he'd told her countless times that he considered her his _friend_ , and there was absolutely no owing involved when it came to friendship, she was always hesitant about allowing him to help out. In fact, whenever she did allow him to, whatever he created tended to help out the Demons that she cared about instead.

"You remember Steve, right?" she eventually spoke up.

All Tony responded with was a raised eyebrow. _Everyone_ knew Steve, after all. He'd been in Hell for a long time, and no one quite understood why. If he were to request so, he could probably go straight to the Fields with how absolutely _good_ he was. And yet he remained, helping out everyone who needed assistance and putting everyone else's attempts to shame. Most of the time, Tony and Steve avoided one another - despite knowing it was unfair, Tony couldn't quite help his jealousy, and he knew Steve didn't trust him due to the fact that, whenever Tony tried to help out, his actions and inventions always becoming tainted somehow.

Natasha shot him an unimpressed look in return, though there was some understanding as well. Being friends with both of them, she knew of some of the difficulties the two Fire Demons had with each other. "Thing is, Steve had a Shadow friend - Bucky. Except he was lost a long, long time ago, and Steve couldn't save him. He thought Bucky was dead and it was his fault. It's one of the reasons he stayed here for so long. But..."

Tony was starting to have his suspicions of where this story was going.

"We found Bucky. Very recently. The... organisation that trained me..." HYDRA was well-known in the Demon world, if only because even most of the 'bad' Demons wouldn't be okay with the kinds of things HYDRA and its offshoots did. Tony was well-aware of the fact that Natasha, by defecting, was still somewhat of a target to them. He'd even made the thin body armor she and her friends wore underneath their clothes, though only Natasha knew that he was the one who'd created it. Steve, at least, probably wouldn't have worn it if he'd known Tony was the source of it. "They've had him, for a long time. Predictably he's not doing too great, and Steve isn't the only one worried about him. I will admit it's had me somewhat distracted ever since."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Tony instantly offered. He had fairly few friends, especially after chasing off Rhodey and Pepper, but there was very little he wouldn't do for those he cared about.

Affection softened Natasha's face, even though it probably wouldn't be obvious to anyone who didn't know her very well. "Thank you for offering, Tony." He was just waiting for the 'but no thank you' - he knew Natasha's reasons for refusing weren't the same as other Demons', but it still hurt every time that his attempts to help were rebuffed. "There is this one thing..."

Shocked, Tony looked at her. She was letting him _help_? A delighted grin spread across his face - he had never been good at hiding his emotions from the ones he cared about - and he nearly vibrated with excitement. "Anything," he assured her.

Something dark flickered over Natasha's face, before she softened again. "I will kill anyone that takes advantage of that," she told him sincerely, making him blush.

"It's... I only offer that to people I really trust," he told her, and it was only partially a lie. There was a lot he would do for anyone's approval, he was aware of that, but it was only Natasha and Obie that could ask for anything, since he knew they wouldn't abuse that trust. Rhodey and Pepper were included as well, of course, even though there was no way for them to ask him for anything right now.

"Kill them," she assured him, and despite the fact that he wasn't very fond of murder or anything, he couldn't help but feel honored that she would care so much. Of course, it also made him even _more_ determined to give her anything she wanted. Eagerly, he waited for her to elaborate. "Most of the things we can work on, but... Bucky lost one of his arms, and..." When Natasha hesitated about anything, that was a good sign things were _bad_. "HYDRA replaced it, for a given value of the word. Except it's a mess, especially after having to fight him, and between repairing or replacing, Bucky would prefer to have it replaced, considering it's mostly a reminder of everything he went through with them. And there's a few other Demons that can work metal well enough, but no one as good as you."

"Of course," Tony told her instantly, mind already rushing through the options. Then, remembering this was _Steve's_ friend, he grimaced slightly. "That is, if he wants my help, of course."

"Trust me," Natasha told him, a sharp look in her eyes, "he will."

And, if nothing else, he did trust Natasha. So he smiled widely and started bombarding her with questions about this Bucky's arm as he tried to figure out the best way to help, unable to help the warm feeling in his chest when she just smiled at him as she answered as much as possible.

☙ 🔥 ❧ 

Bucky had insisted on Natasha joining him. This was her friend, after all, and he had to admit he was rather nervous. Having anything done with his arm had only ever hurt before, and while she'd told him this 'Tony' was more than trustworthy, Bucky couldn't help but be hesitant. It didn't help that Steve seemed to disapprove of Natasha's friend, although he hadn't said anything out loud (and, remembering the threatening look Natasha had shot him when mentioning her friend, Bucky could very well understand).

As odd as it might be to trust someone who had been _there_ , the fact that Natasha had willingly defected and was actually trying to do _good_ even with a ledger full of bad Karma assured him that she was genuine. He had to admit the familiarity, if slight, helped as well.

"Remember to be nice to him," Natasha told him, her eyes warning him that she would cut him up into little pieces if he didn't.

Attempting to raise both of his hands placatingly left Bucky grimacing as something jammed in his left arm, though the expression didn't last long. "Wasn't planning to be anything but," he assured her. No matter any rumors or feelings that Steve had, this was the Demon that was about to _help_ him with his arm. Alienating him seemed like a terrible idea.

She looked at him assessingly, nodding when she found whatever she wanted. "He can be a bit overly enthusiastic at the beginning, kind of like one of those hellhound pups, especially when it has to do with technology or craftsmanship. There's a good chance he'll be rambling and asking questions about the arm, or even to the arm, instead of talking to you - do not take offense."

Hearing her talk about him, Bucky almost wondered if this was the same 'Merchant of Death' Fire Demon he'd heard word of. Maybe there were two Tony's, and this one just had the misfortune of being mistaken for the other one? "How come he's still here?" he couldn't help but ask. From her warnings, as well as her earlier talks about him, her friend sounded like one of the Demons that went off to the Elysian Fields only one Solstice after getting to Hell in the first place.

Natasha's eyes darkened. "Assholes taking advantage of him," she bit out. "I won't say he's perfect, but he should've been out a long time ago."

Honestly, Bucky had thought she might have a crush on the guy, the way she talked about him. It wasn't until they actually got to his workshop and he finally _met_ Tony that Bucky realized... well, he realized a lot of things. First and foremost being that he wanted to grab the Fire Demon and _taste_ that fire that was more than obvious.

For the first half hour or so, Bucky was utterly stunned as he watched Tony. His hands were quick and careful, his mouth quick and a lot less so, and the realization of the utter brilliance of his mind left Bucky feeling completely overwhelmed.

He really, _really_ hoped Natasha didn't have a crush on him, because Bucky definitely did.

With everything that was going on, Tony rambling and asking questions and poking at his arm, it actually took Bucky a while to realize he wasn't in pain anymore. It was such a foreign sensation that he couldn't help but blurt out "it doesn't hurt," blushing as he realized he'd actually said so out loud.

Suddenly, those bright brown eyes were completely focused on him, making it difficult to breathe for a few seconds. "Of course not - once Natasha told me it'd been bothering you, that was the _first_ thing I was going to do something about." He sounded indignant, puffed up like an angry cat.

"But you've hardly touched it," Bucky couldn't help but dig the hole a little deeper. He just didn't get how Tony had been so _quick_ to be able to stop it from hurting the way it had for _years_.

"Well, it's... I won't say it's not impressive work, 'cause that would be a lie, but I can _definitely_ do better." Now he shrugged, though Bucky was relieved to notice he no longer looked as offended. "Whoever made this was smart, but I'm smarter - give me a few days to work some things out, and I can give you a brand new, better arm. Though you will have to pick if you want to keep it like this for those days, even if it's not as responsive, or if you want the responsiveness back along with the pain."

Bucky felt like he couldn’t be blamed for being stunned into silence for a bit, and he was glad that Tony didn’t seem to mind - in fact, the other Demon just kept working, flitting back and forth across his workshop as he remembered one thing or another.

By the time he followed Natasha back to Shadow territory, his mind was racing. She allowed the silence, as she usually did, and he was grateful for the opportunity to get some of his composure back. Thoughts tumbled over one another, a lot of them repeating the word ‘wow’ over and over again.

It wasn’t a _bad_ thing, though. Shades, Tony was the first thing in a while that made him want to _laugh_.

“He shouldn’t be here,” he eventually blurted out, catching Natasha’s attention.

For as long as he’d known her, she’d been great at assessing others. It was still uncomfortable to be caught in her green gaze, especially knowing how protective she was over her friend. She’d glared at _Steve_ , of all Demons.

When she finally huffed, turning away, he realized he hadn’t been breathing the entire time she’d been looking at him. One of HYDRA’s prime assassins, and he had been completely thrown off by one single Fire Demon. Then again, Tony was… _something_. He couldn’t imagine anyone not being drawn in by the fire, the _life_ that he exuded. Shades, how could anyone not instantly fall for him?

“No, he shouldn’t be,” Natasha agreed with him, a dark look in her eyes. “Something’s not right.”

That focused his attention, at least. “In what way, exactly?” Unlike before, when his mind had been too scattered to make sense of much of anything, her words caught his attention. There was something more to this entire situation.

Natasha was silent for a few seconds. Then she replied, her unhappiness clear. “I’m actually not sure.” He could imagine she hesitated to confess as much - she could usually tell what was going on at a glance, and otherwise she had no trouble finding out. To have been unable to in this case must be difficult for her. “He should have enough Karma by far to get out - should have been out before I even met him. But things keep going wrong with his inventions, even though he’s brilliant. It makes no sense.”

From what he’d seen of Tony, the Demon knew what he was talking about. Shades, some of the terms he’d used were completely unfamiliar to Bucky, and he’d made sure to be able to keep up with the technicians that worked on his arm before.

“D’ya want me to see if I can find out?” he asked her. He knew she was great at sneaking around, knew she had a great command of the shadows around her. But both of them knew that whatever HYDRA had done to him, it had enhanced him. There was a reason he’d been their best assassin, after all, as much as he’d hated it. To be able to use that ability for good, to help someone instead of hurting them, well…

She looked at him assessingly, and it was tempting to look away and avoid her gaze. He’d meant his offer, though - if she was worried about her friend, about _Tony_ , then Bucky would do his best to find out what was going on.

Finally, she nodded. “Find out who I need to kill,” she told him, sounding absolutely serious. Flames, he easily believed she was. When she cared, she _cared_.

Which was how he found himself, in-between appointments with Tony to figure out his new arm, lingering around the workshop completely unnoticed. The shadows molded themselves around him, leaving him completely untraceable as they obscured him from sight.

One of the first things he noticed was that Tony did not have a lot of friends. When he was in the workshop, he spent most of his time alone. Even on the Saturday, which was usually a day off to spend time together for Demons all throughout the realm, he threw a few forlorn looks outside before turning back to whatever he was doing. It made Bucky want to step out of the shadows and ask him to come take a walk, at least. Anything so he wouldn’t be so lonely.

That first realization was soon followed by the knowledge that Bucky was _really_ screwed when it came to Tony. Not only was he gorgeous, and brilliant, and kind, but he was also more of _all of that_ than Bucky had been able to realize at first.

Honestly, he’d originally been planning to stay outside, keep an eye out for Demons, and only follow them into the workshop if they seemed _off_ somehow. That had lasted one day, when he’d heard Tony talking and wondered if anyone had gotten in there unnoticed, only for him to sneak in and realize that the gorgeous Fire Demon had been talking to what appeared to be an arm on wheels. He’d been too entranced to move, and before he’d known it, he’d fallen just a bit more for Tony. (Did it feel a bit creepy to be hanging out in the workshop without Tony knowing he was there? Sure, but he’d promised Natasha, after all, and once they’d figured all of this out, he’d confess to Tony and make up for it somehow.)

It still took him over a sennight to finally find out what was going on. Tony was still working on the arm, having told him he wanted it to be perfect (and Bucky had melted inside whenever Tony spoke to his robot about how Natasha was super nice and had asked for his help, and how Bucky himself deserved something ‘as awesome as he is’).

Worst, he nearly wasn’t there when it happened. Steve had asked where he’d been spending his time, and while Natasha made for a good alibi, his friend had still asked him to spend some time together. So by the time he’d gotten to Tony’s workshop, it was later than usual, and he was afraid he might’ve missed something. But he still looked normal, rambling to his robot and working to control the flames as he worked on something other than the arm he’d been spending a lot of his time on. From what Bucky could overhear, it had something to do with a power source, though he couldn’t make sense of most of it.

He’d love to say he instantly realized what was going on, but he honestly didn’t. Not at first. At first, the man coming by to visit appeared nice, and as genuinely happy to see Tony as the smaller Demon was to see him. Bucky _nearly_ decided to head off to give them some privacy, though he was glad that he stayed in the end.

☙ 🔥 ❧ 

“Obie!” Tony called out, smiling happily. “What are you doing here?”

The battery he’d been working on, though still not quite up to the level of the idea he’d had a while ago, was supposed to be a surprise for their meeting on Thursday. Finishing it in less than two days was ambitious, but Obie deserved to have something nice, and this way he could use it in whatever way seemed best to him.

Still, he hadn’t expected to see his not-father right now, and he quickly shoved at the components he was using so there was no way for anyone to tell what he was up to. He didn’t want to spoil the surprise, after all.

“Tony, my boy,” Obie greeted, clapping a big hand on Tony’s shoulder and squeezing. “Busy again, I see?”

“Yeah, I had this idea I wanted to work on. Not sure where it’ll end up yet, though,” he tried to shrug it off, trying to keep his not-father from focusing on it too much. “Is something wrong? I thought we’d be seeing one another on Thursday?”

Humming softly, Obie got that small frown on his face that Tony was only too familiar with. Oh, no. “We were meeting Tuesday, my boy - today. I was worried when you didn’t show up, so I came to check on you. Thought you might’ve gotten absorbed into a project again…”

Whimpering softly, Tony turned to the notebook he had for their meetings. “I’m so sorry, I thought… I thought it was Thursday, I have Thursday noted down…” He checked again, just to make sure, but there it was: ‘ _Meeting Obie - Thursday_ ’. He was so sure he’d gotten it right this time, too, except apparently he’d noted it down wrong _again_.

“Ehh, I know you get confused sometimes,” Obie reassured him, smiling gently. “We agreed on Tuesday, but I know how your brain goes - thinking of so many things at once, a little confusion can happen.”

This wasn’t the first time it had happened at all, and Tony honestly felt awful. Obie was always so kind about it, despite the fact that it seemed like he could _never_ get it right unless he noted it down immediately. No matter how hard he tried, how much he tried to push himself to remember it correctly this time, it seemed like he just kept getting it wrong somehow. “I’m so sorry,” he apologized again, despite Obie’s understanding.

“Hey, I know you by now,” Obie tried to comfort him. “I should’ve gotten you to just note it down immediately, really.”

And that just made him feel worse, Obie blaming himself for something _Tony_ had done wrong. “No, it’s my fault, really. I just… I never remember it right, and I should really know better, but…” But they’d been out, away from the workshop, when they’d discussed their next meeting, and he’d _sworn_ to write it down the moment he came back, but apparently he’d still gotten it wrong. “I’m so sorry to waste your time like this.”

“You’re never a waste, my boy,” Obie immediately reassured him. “Just one of the downfalls of having a brain like yours, I wager.”

Hesitantly, Tony smiled again. “Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?”

“I meant it - nothing to make up for, really. I know you by now, I could’ve had you note it down or reminded you. But if you really insist, you could take me out for dinner. I just don’t want you to feel bad about this.”

“Of course!” Tony instantly agreed, happy to have a way to make it up to his not-father. “There’s that new place, over in the West near the Shadows, that’s apparently great - I can treat you to dinner there if you’d like. I’ve heard they try to mix some meals of both Fires and Shadows, and I’ve been curious about it ever since Natasha told me about it.”

A small frown appeared on Obie’s face again, almost unnoticeable, and Tony instantly felt his stomach sinking again.

“I’m afraid I can’t today, my boy,” Obie apologized, and oh, yeah… That made sense. Unlike Tony, Obie had lots of friends, which meant they usually planned their meetups to take place whenever his not-father had nothing else planned. But their idea for Thursday - or, well, today - had been to have lunch together. No doubt he had something else planned for dinner already.

He tried not to deflate too much. “Ah,” he murmured.

Once again, Obie put a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry, Tony - I do have a dinner meeting for today, and I’m afraid I don’t have a lot longer until I have to leave. I just wanted to check that you were alright, and… Well, I guess it can wait.”

That voice was never a good sign, and Tony could feel the Flames within him withering. “It… Something’s wrong?”

Hesitation was clear on Obie’s face, and Tony _knew_ that look. It was the look he had every time something had gone wrong with one of Tony’s inventions, the look that hesitated between being honest and protecting Tony from the truth. “It’s just… I’m sorry, my boy. I wanted to have some time to ease you into things, and perhaps being able to cheer you up a little after - I’d ordered… Well, it doesn’t matter, really, but you do deserve to know… Do you remember when I asked you if you could help fix my friend’s automated watering system?”

He nodded, already getting an idea of where this was going. Oh Flames, why was it always the same?

“I’m sorry to tell you, but it… Something went wrong. They’re not quite sure what, but… It exploded. Pretty badly. He’s… Well, they’re saying he’ll live, but there’s going to be some permanent injuries…”

Tony swallowed, tasting the bile. “But I… It shouldn’t have,” he heard himself saying, voice hardly more than a whisper. This was a friend of Obie’s - he’d made sure everything was in _perfect_ working order. But somehow… It seemed like all he’d ever manage was to make things that exploded in the most damaging ways possible.

“I don’t blame you,” Obie assured him, voice so infinitely _kind_. How could he be so kind when anyone else would be angry; so, so angry? “It’s just… I know you tried, Tony. Anyone can make a mistake. I know that, and I’m not angry with you. You did your best.”

It was really difficult not to cry, especially with Obie there and being so gentle about it. “I’m so sorry.” His voice was strangled, and he was looking at the floor, unable to look his not-father in the face. “I thought… Everything should have been perfect, it shouldn’t have been able to explode, but…” But it had, and again someone else was paying the price for his mistakes.

In front of him, he could hear Obie sighed, before arms encircled him in a desperately needed hug. “I know, my boy. I know.”

He only barely managed to contain the whimper that wanted to escape. It was his own fault, considering he kept messing things up, but most Demons just… didn’t like him. That also meant that most of them were very hesitant about coming near him, let alone touching him with anything other than indifference at best and disdain at worst.

By now, Natasha was just about his only friend, and while she went out of her way to touch him occasionally, Tony knew she wasn’t that comfortable with it and mostly hugged him for his sake.

Before Obie left, he turned to Tony one last time. “I don’t know if you had any plans, but… Well, one of the reasons I was worried that something might have happened is that there are quite a few Demons that aren’t happy with you.” Tony shrunk even further into himself - he’d _really_ thought he’d gotten it right this time. “It might be a good idea to stay inside for a while, just until this blows over. I’m really sorry, my boy, but I just… I worry, and I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

A nod was all he could manage as he tried not to cry. He didn’t want to worry Obie, not when he could clearly see the concern the older Demon felt for him, but… Well, he’d been planning on visiting Natasha sometime.

Considering he was quite a strong Fire Demon, though, he wasn’t likely to manage getting around subtly. He wondered if Bucky would be willing to carry a message for her the next time he visited for his arm, just to make sure Natasha wouldn’t worry too much about his lack of visits.

When he finally managed to look up, Obie was gone, and Tony felt the loneliness crashing in on him. He couldn’t even look at the battery he’d been working on - it’s not like he was in a hurry anymore, after all, with Obie gone and no meeting with his not-father to look forward to. Instead, he went to the corner Dum-E usually removed himself to when Obie came to visit, considering the older Demon wasn’t entirely comfortable with the construct.

There, he curled up against Dum-E’s base as the poor ‘bot tried its best to hug him with only one arm.

Couldn’t he ever get anything right?

☙ 🔥 ❧ 

Natasha didn’t react at first, appearing almost frozen as she considered what Bucky had told her about his concerns.

“That… that doesn’t make sense, though,” she eventually insisted, a frown marring her face. “He… he _cares_ about Tony.”

Bucky grimaced a little, thinking about what had happened. “I mean, maybe?” He didn’t know this Obie, after all, and on the surface it might not have been so terrible. Below the surface, though… “I might be wrong. It might be nothing, or some… social clumsiness, lack of empathy. But I haven’t known Tony all that long, and everything the guy said just kept making things worse, and I _know_ it might not have been on purpose, but… Even I could see it. And it just… seems wrong, somehow.”

Not to mention that he’d never seen Tony that beaten down, curling up in the corner and making himself as small as possible. It was something he’d rather never see again.

It was also exactly what Natasha had wanted him to look out for, though. She nodded at him, though she was still frowning. “I’m still hoping you’re wrong, but… I’ll look into it. See if there’s anything _off_ about him, like you’re thinking, or if it’s…” If it was just someone making Tony sad when he really should only ever be smiling and happy and more alive than Bucky had ever seen anyone.

Deep inside, Bucky knew it was not entirely normal, the way he'd instantly been drawn to the other Demon. From the first moment he'd met Tony, he'd been lost, and he couldn't even bring himself to mind. Not with Tony. Though he _would_ admit that it would be nice to actually get to know the other. Already, he knew that Tony was absolutely brilliant, and incredibly kind, and had a spark inside of him that went beyond being a Fire Demon, but... Bucky also wanted to learn more about _him_ , his inner thoughts, his hopes and dreams.

While he'd been thinking, it was clear that Natasha had been, too. "Bucky?" He looked at her, nodding to indicate she could continue. "Could you stick close to Tony? Just... In case he needs protection somehow. I'll send a note with you, saying I'll be off for a while - he's used to that, even though he doesn't like it. But he needs someone right now, especially if you're right."

"Of course." He didn't even need to think about it too much. A reason to stay close to the most intriguing Demon he'd ever met? He was taking that with... Well, currently one hand, but soon. "Don't worry about him."

A rueful smile crossed her face. "Easier said than done," she admitted. "I just _really_ hope you're wrong."

"So do I." It was more than obvious that Tony was very close to Obie, after all, and if his suspicions were correct, then it would inevitably hurt him, which was the exact thing Bucky _didn't_ want.

Spending time with him, though, was anything but a hardship.

Natasha's letter to him, whatever it said, had Tony trying to keep a straight face even when it was clear that he was unhappy with it. "Thank you for bringing me this," he told Bucky, voice slightly strained as he attempted to smile.

It was beyond obvious to Bucky that he wasn't alright at all, and he desperately wanted to do something to help Tony feel better. After Obie's visit the day before and Natasha's letter today, it looked far too much like he was about to cry, and Bucky frantically searched his mind for something, _anything_ to make him feel better.

Before he could think of anything to say, though, Tony spoke up instead. “You… You don’t have to stay, if you don’t want to.” His voice was soft, almost hesitant. “I’ve got plenty of stuff to keep me busy.”

Although Bucky wasn’t sure how to phrase it, he _did_ know that he didn’t want to leave Tony all by himself. Especially like this, when it was clear that he still wasn’t alright. “Would you mind me staying?” he ended up asking instead. Then, afraid it wouldn’t be enough and Tony would send him away, he continued. “It’s just that I’m comfortable here - it’s the first place I’ve really felt comfortable since… well, since everything. So if you don’t mind…”

“It’s… sure, if you want to,” Tony told him, sounding somewhere between surprised and relieved. “I mean, I’m still working on your arm, but if you don’t mind keeping yourself amused?”

“Not at all,” Bucky reassured him, relieved as well.

Which was how he ended up spending most of his free time with Tony, this time with the other knowing about it. He wasn’t really surprised that it was even better like this, with Tony occasionally rambling at him about something or other while he tried to keep up with the other Demon’s brilliant mind.

A lot of the time, he ended up keeping Tony’s robot busy, making sure the aptly named ‘Dum-E’ would not mess with anything. Some of his time was spent reading, or using his hands (especially the arm - even with the few glitches Tony had deemed not worthy of the time to remove, considering he’d be giving Bucky a new one soon, it was still stronger than his right one) bending some of Tony’s leftover scrap metal into increasingly interesting shapes. Dum-E had been ecstatic to find a rendition of himself one day, and Bucky hadn’t missed the way his gorgeous brown eyes had gone slightly misty, or the way his ‘thank you’ came out slightly choked.

Embarrassingly enough, most of his time was actually just spent watching Tony work, marvelling at the things he managed to create and the way his mind worked. Bucky was aware that he likely looked like a lovesick hellhound puppy, but he simply couldn’t help himself.

Having conversations with Tony had him getting to know the other Demon even better (and maybe had Bucky falling even deeper in love, though he _knew_ it was way too soon for anything like that - wasn’t it?). Sometimes it wasn’t easy to keep up with Tony’s mind, especially the way he seemed to be able to jump from one subject to another without any logical connection between the two of them, but it was more than worth it.

Just minutes before, they’d been discussing the benefits of specific spices for a dish that Bucky had brought along. (Tony forgot to eat quite often, after all, and while he might be too busy to notice when it was time to eat something, Bucky certainly noticed both their stomachs grumbling.)

“All I’m saying is that a bit more spice might make it a bit more interesting to eat,” Tony defended, deep inside the innards of what was starting to look very much like the best arm that Bucky had ever seen, though he _was_ aware he might be a little prejudiced.

Bucky scoffed, pretending to be offended. “The amount of spices you think a dish needs to be interesting, most other Demons would be trying to dunk themselves into the Lake to try to stop the burning.” Oddly, despite his fairly sensitive palate, Tony absolutely _adored_ having his meals spiced up with every single spice Hell had to offer until anyone else would be burning up.

“Most other Demons are weak.”

At that, Bucky wasn’t able to hold in a bark of laughter. In the corner of his eye, he noticed how his own laughter made Tony smile as well, making warmth spread through his chest. “Fairly sure it has little to do with strength and a lot to do with taste,” Bucky joked, although he did wonder if Tony being one of the strongest Fire Demons he’d ever met might have something to do with it.

Then again, Bucky himself didn’t mind some spice in his food, though not as much as Tony, so it might have very little to do with it after all.

“So what have you been crafting?” Tony suddenly asked, eyes flickering towards Bucky’s hands.

Startled, Bucky looked down. He had almost forgotten that he’d gotten his hands on some more sheet metal, though his fingers appeared to have been busy in the meantime. “Not sure, to be honest,” he admitted, looking at the mangled piece of metal.

“Can I see?” Tony asked, appearing genuinely curious. And of course, Bucky really wasn’t all that great at refusing him, opening up his hands to show him… well, whatever it was. “Looks almost like a flower, honestly,” he eventually judged, making Bucky frown and look down at the mess.

“A what?”

At that, he noticed a faint blush crossing Tony’s face. It was unfairly attractive, really - not like Tony needed to be any _more_ gorgeous than he already was.

“It’s, ah… Well, it’s an Earth thing, really. Not really any down here. But the stories say the Elysian Fields are full of them, as well. They need light to live, though, and water, and… And happiness, I guess? They’re kind of like the plants we have down here, except so much _more_. There’s so many of them up there, and they come in all different kinds of colors and sizes, too. I’m just… not sure how to describe them.”

Seeing Tony unable to find a way to describe something was very, very strange. Bucky hadn’t ever seen him lost for words.

“Wait, if you… I’ve got a few sketches,” Tony assured him, heading to a chest in the corner of his workshop that opened up to reveal a pile of notebooks inside. He bent over, rummaging around in it, and Bucky had to avert his eyes as his pants suddenly got a bit tighter than was necessarily comfortable.

By the time Tony had found the notebook, Bucky had his reaction under control again - which was fortunate, since Tony plopped himself down right next to him, his presence heating up Bucky’s entire left side even with the slight distance between the two of them.

“Here, this is what a few of them are supposed to look like,” Tony pointed out.

Looking at the sketches, he had to admit that his mess of metal did look rather like the beginnings of the sketch that Tony had named ‘rose’, though it would still require some effort. Narrowing his eyes, Bucky tried to commit the image to memory so he would be able to make one, before looking through a few more pages.

“So how do you know about these, if they don’t grow in here?” Bucky asked, trying to remember as many of them as possible. There was some vague familiarity - had he seen flowers before, after all? - but it wasn’t something he could pinpoint.

To his consternation and delight, Tony blushed even brighter. “Well…” He dragged it out, appearing to hesitate about explaining, before looking Bucky intently in the eyes. “You have to promise not to tell anyone, alright? I mean, you can mention it to Natasha, because I’ve told her before, but _no one else_ , okay?”

“Of course,” Bucky instantly promised, astonished. He was _really_ wondering about this story now.

“Alright, so… This was a while back, before I’d even met Natasha, but I had these two friends - both of them were Fire Demons as well. I’d met Rhodey first, and then Pepper later, and we were pretty close.” Bucky wasn’t able to miss the slight hint of sadness in his tone, even though Tony was genuinely smiling at the same time. “And Pepper had heard these stories, from another friend of hers, about these things called flowers. So she wondered about them, and she told us about them, and Rhodey and I shared _one_ look, and both went ‘we don’t believe you’. We did, of course, but now she had to _prove_ it.

“Pepper was always very much a Demon who liked the rules, but we… It took some effort, and some joking around, but we managed to convince her to join us.” Tony looked around surreptitiously, as though someone would be listening in, and just to be very sure, Bucky extended his reach of the shadows a bit to make sure there wasn’t anyone there. “So the three of us left, and we tried to find a way to the surface.”

Even though there really wasn’t any other way this story could have gone, and even though Bucky had expected it, he still couldn’t help but gasp a little. “That’s _possible_?”

It wasn’t expressly forbidden for Demons to leave Hell to go up to the surface - more of an unspoken rule, enforced mostly by the fact that, as far as Bucky was aware, no one knew _how to_. Except, as it turned out, someone _did_.

“Well, it wasn’t easy, and if any of us had been on our own, we probably would’ve given up. Not to mention Earth really isn’t very… Well, let’s just say that once we got there, it was quite clear that Demons aren’t made for an Earth environment. But we did get to spend some time there - maybe two days, in all, before the sun was starting to come up again and we decided that another day would probably end up killing us.” Tony grimaced a little at the memory, though his eyes were still bright.

“It was… Environment aside, the air and the sunlight and everything, it was _beautiful_ , though.” From the soft look on his face, it was obvious that this was a memory he looked back upon fondly. “There were all these plants, all this _life_. All we’ve got here are insects and hellhounds and Demons, but up there, there’s so much of _everything_.”

Entranced, Bucky listened as he tried to describe as much as possible of what he’d seen up there - the flowers, the animals, even the humans that they’d kept their distance from.

As he talked, Tony went through the book, which included sketches of other things as well. At every page, he tried to give as much information as possible, bringing Bucky to helpless laughter as he tried to imitate the animals he’d seen that were apparently called monkeys.

“I swear, they were just _screaming_ at us!” Tony cried out, huffing when Bucky didn’t stop laughing. Pouting, he sat back. “I liked the snake far better - at least that one was nice and gave us all a hug.”

Gasping as his laughter finally started to die down, Bucky was struck with the sudden thought that this was _perfect_. _Tony_ was perfect.

Oh Shades, he was done for, wasn’t he?

He couldn’t bring himself to regret it, though. Not really, not when Tony was sitting right next to him, pretending to be offended even when Bucky could see a grin pulling at the sides of his mouth.

“Anyway, I hope you’re nearly ready for your new arm - I just want to check over a few more things, but it should be done tomorrow.”

It was just about the last thing Bucky had expected him to say, and he wasn’t proud of how he sat, mouth hanging open with astonishment, for several moments before reacting. “I… Oh wow, are you sure?” He’d hardly dared to hope, even seeing Tony work on it, that it would one day be done and possibly be _his_.

Tony just smiled gently at him, though, putting a gentle hand on Bucky’s arm. “Very sure,” he affirmed. “Honestly, it might’ve been done two days ago, but I just… I just wanted it to be perfect, you know?”

Not for the first time, Bucky wondered if perhaps his feelings weren’t entirely one-sided, especially as Tony blushed and looked down at his lap.

“Just… Is there any way I can thank you for everything you’ve done?” Bucky asked, almost reverently. After HYDRA, he’d honestly not seen the point in doing much of anything - it had all seemed hopeless, and even with Steve and Natasha on his side, he hadn’t been able to find a purpose for himself. But somehow Tony had managed to change that, had managed to give him a reason to keep going. More importantly, Tony had made him believe there was a reason to _hope_.

Predictably, though, Tony instantly deflected any gratitude. “Honestly, I started for Natasha, and I keep telling her that she’s my friend and I’d help her out without her having to repay me, ever. But even if not… Well, I’d like to think that maybe we’ve kind of become friends as well? Because you’re here very often, and I like having you around, and you… seem to like being around me, too? So I might have started working on your arm for Natasha, but I finished it for _you_.”

At that, Bucky was unable to help himself, gathering Tony up in a hug so tight it was almost a miracle he still managed to breathe.

Rather than struggle, which was what Bucky had been half-expecting, Tony melted into it with a happy sigh, head coming down to rest on Bucky’s shoulder trustingly. It was better than anything Bucky could remember, and he closed his eyes, determined to enjoy this for as long as possible. Tony might be smaller than him, but he was well-muscled, and as a Fire Demon he practically exuded a heat that Bucky felt like he had been missing for centuries.

The memory of that hug lingered in his mind long after it was finished, taking the number one spot in Bucky’s list of ‘Best Things To Have Ever Happened To Me’.

Even Tony gently detaching HYDRA’s old arm and attaching his new and _vastly_ improved new arm didn’t manage to beat it, although the moment definitely earned itself a solid spot in the top five. The articulation was so much better, and Bucky stared in utter astonishment when he realized that he could _feel_ with his new arm as well. It made Tony laugh with delight, though, before he started explaining exactly what kinds of functions he’d managed to put into the metal appendage, which made it rather worth it.

In the days after that, Bucky kept coming around, and he could see how it surprised Tony that he did so even after he’d gotten the arm he’d come for in the first place. It made him even more determined to be there for Tony, even after he and Natasha had figured out what was going wrong that the Fire Demon still hadn’t been reborn. (At least, until Tony left to get reborn.)

He would admit that he wasn’t looking forward to Natasha’s return, watching the door to Tony’s workshop warily as he made good use of his new arm by crafting flower after flower, which he hoped to give to Tony once he was finished.

For that reason, and because Tony was just about oblivious to his surroundings when working on something, he noticed Natasha the moment she approached. And from the look on her face, however emotionless others might think it was, Bucky could tell that it wasn’t good news.

Tensing up, he prepared for the worst.

☙ 🔥 ❧ 

“Natasha!”

Tony really had missed her, and he could see that she was both surprised and a little flattered that he’d noticed her before she’d said anything, despite being at work.

“Hey Tony, Bucky,” she greeted both of them, nodding at Bucky and graciously accepting Tony hugging her. While she wasn’t always the most comfortable with physical affection, she did allow Tony to hug her occasionally, and especially after she’d been away on one of her missions for a while.

“I hope everything went okay?” Tony informed, surreptitiously checking to make sure there was no damage to her clothes, no blood or bruises visible.

Of course, she noticed immediately, as she usually did. Usually, she would tap his nose to distract him, laughing as he wrinkled it automatically, before telling him that everything was fine. The fact that she didn’t do so now was very alarming, and Tony checked her over again to make sure there wasn’t anything he’d missed. The lightweight armor had held, right?

Sighing, Natasha took his hand, stilling his frantic movements instantly. Her green eyes were gentle, though her smile seemed forced. “It’s probably best if we sit down - there’s something that I need to tell you, and it’s…”

It felt like a trickle of ice water spreading down his back, and Tony was only barely able to contain his whimper. Oh Flames, what had happened?

All of his attention was on Natasha, which was why he startled when he felt Bucky grab his other hand. A quick look confirmed that Bucky at least had some idea of what was going on, considering the grim look on his face. It didn’t make him feel better, not really, but he couldn’t help but appreciate the support as they both held his hands while sitting him down on the couch where Bucky had been spending most of his time lately, with Natasha crouching in front of him while Bucky sat beside him in silent support.

“It’s… I’m not even sure how to start,” Natasha admitted, which only frightened Tony more. She must have realized as much, soldiering on. “I was suspicious of things - how you’re such a good person, and yet you’re still here, convinced you don’t have enough Karma to apply for rebirth. It didn’t make sense to me. And… I followed Obadiah. Checked things, talked to people.”

His hands were shaking, Tony realized. He didn’t want to know where this was going, but he knew he needed to. Knew that if Natasha was telling him about this, she did so with a reason.

“There’s some things I still don’t know. I don’t know why… Why he does everything. But I do know that he… He’s the reason things keep going wrong. He’s given some of your inventions to bad Demons, who misuse them. Others, the ones that should’ve been going right… From what I was able to gather, there’s someone who messes with them. Works on them so they’ll explode, or sometimes just fail.”

Slowly, Tony was becoming aware of the fact that he was shaking his head in denial. It felt like he’d been submerged in the Lake, chilling him to the bones. “He wouldn’t,” he tried, but he knew his voice sounded weak.

“I’m so sorry, Tony,” Natasha apologized, looking more torn up than he’d ever seen her. “I know… I know what he means to you, and I know that this sounds… I know this isn’t easy to hear. I checked, and rechecked, because I needed to be _sure_ before telling you anything like this, and I wish I didn’t have to, but… You need to know. You _deserve_ to know.”

It explained why everything kept going wrong. Explained why everything he made was constantly broken, or misused, or both. And while he didn’t want to believe it, wanted to deny it and argue that Natasha must’ve misinterpreted something (everything), he knew her. He knew the look on her face, the regret in her eyes, and he knew she wouldn’t have come to him with this if she wasn’t absolutely certain.

She wouldn’t break his heart without a very good reason.

But it was Obie. Obie, who had been there for him always, who had always stood by his side, who had always had faith in him.

With a whimper, he pulled away from both Natasha and Bucky, running out of his workshop. He needed to see Obie, needed to… He didn’t even know. Ask him for the truth? Tell him to deny it, to come up with a reason for what Natasha had found?

Even in his panic, his desperation, he instantly rejected the idea that Natasha would have lied to him. He knew her (but then again, he’d thought he knew Obie too, didn’t he?) and…

And it made sense. Natasha hardly ever asked for his inventions, while Obie… And the ones he gave to Natasha were never misused, were always used for the right reasons, while Obie… kept losing them? Kept having them stolen? Not to mention that Natasha had never encouraged him to push someone away, the way Obie had. She was his friend, and she was protective of him, but…

Oh Flames, Rhodey and Pepper. Obie had told him to push them away, to let them go. He’d even disapproved of Natasha, cautioning Tony against trusting her. Because unlike Rhodey and Pepper, she wasn’t even close to being able to apply for rebirth, and so pushing her away ‘ _for her own good_ ’ wasn’t a possibility.

Tony was running now, uncaring of the other Demons that looked at him pass with some astonishment.

As much as he didn’t want it to, things were falling into place. Things he hadn’t even told Natasha about, things he was too embarrassed to discuss with her. Because he’d never forgotten when he was supposed to meet up with her, had he? It was only Obie that kind of thing happened with, only Obie - and only when Obie knew he hadn’t immediately written it down, so he could say Tony had misremembered.

This time of the day, Obie wouldn’t be in the place he called home. Instead, Tony knew, he preferred to spend his time in the huge cave that he had jokingly dubbed his ‘Office’, where he met with his friends and associates.

So it was in that direction he was running, though not fast enough (never fast enough) to outrun his thoughts.

“Obie!” he called as soon as he got to the front room. It branched out in multiple side rooms, all of which Obie could be in, and he couldn’t go looking through them all, couldn’t bring himself to go into the rooms like a little hellhound puppy trying to find its master.

It didn’t take Obie long, exiting into the front room with a look of concern on his face. Tony couldn’t help but wonder how much of that was fake. “Tony, my boy! Is everything alright?”

When Obie approached, arms outstretched as if to give him a hug, Tony couldn’t help but flinch backwards a little. He knew Obie noticed when a frown briefly pulled at his mouth before his face fell back into a concerned look. Except it didn’t look genuine, not anymore, not to Tony. Instead, he saw the way the bigger Demon’s eyes never changed, remaining coolly assessing. Had he really never seen this before?

“Is… Did you... Why?” Standing in front of Obie now, there were so many things he wanted to know, needed to know, but the ‘why’ was towering above it all.

“Why what, my boy?” Obie told him, appearing clueless.

Now, knowing what he did, the ‘my boy’ sent shivers running down Tony’s spine. “Why go through all that effort to keep me here? To keep me alone?” He wanted to be angry, wanted to rage at Obie for what he’d done, what he’d convinced Tony to do, but all he could feel was a quiet devastation.

Still, Obie kept looking concerned, some confusion seeping into his look as well. “I’m sorry, I don’t know… Are you alright? Did something happen?”

“You gave away my inventions to Demons who’d use them wrongly. You _sabotaged_ some of them,” Tony accused, managing some anger at the way Obie refused to admit it. “You tell me to stay away from everyone except you, tell me not to give my inventions to anyone but you, and you keep _sabotaging_ things so they keep going _wrong_. You told me I didn’t have the Karma to leave!”

It was less than a second, and if he wasn’t watching so carefully, Tony would’ve missed the look on Obie’s face. He knew that, in that very moment, Obie was calculating what to do next, whether he should admit things or keep pretending he had no idea.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, my boy.” Tony wasn’t surprised he was going for the latter. For so long, Obie had managed to keep him oblivious as to what was going on. Tony had _trusted_ him, more than anyone else, because Obie had always been there for him. Except, as it turned out, he hadn’t. “There must’ve been some kind of misunderstanding somewhere - you know I care about you, right?”

“I thought you did,” Tony told him, reminding himself to remain strong against that cajoling tone that Obie always used with him.

“Of course I do! I’m truly sorry if I’ve been remiss in showing you so lately - I know it always bothers you when you forget that we’re about to meet up, and I’m sorry if it’s made you feel like you’re not more important to me than my other appointments, but I thought you knew you are the most important thing to me. If you’d told me you needed to see me, I would’ve made time for you somewhere,” Obie assured him.

For the first time ever, Tony recognized the way every sentence was carefully constructed to make him feel like _he_ was the one in the wrong - the insecure one, the needy one, the mistaken one.

It felt like his heart was breaking.

“I _know_ , Obie,” he replied, voice much calmer than he thought he’d be able to manage. Much sadder than he’d wanted to admit to.

Silence fell between them, loaded with emotions that Tony didn’t want to admit to. He wondered if Obie had ever cared. Wondered, even more, if he’d finally admit to the truth, or if he would keep trying to convince Tony that he cared for anything but his own interests, for anything about Tony except what he could do for Obie.

By now, although he’d taken care to maintain his concerned look, Tony could _feel_ the way Obie was assessing him.

Then, he felt the knife at his back.

Tony stilled, not having expected that. From the corner of his eye, he could see a shape, and it took him a few moments to recognize Ivan. He didn’t even know Obie knew the Shadow Demon, who was well-known for some of the cruelest inventions in the entirety of Hell. It was even rumored that Ivan had worked with HYDRA before, though there wasn’t any proof.

“Don’t hurt him!” Obie told Ivan, sounding alarmed. Did he still want to pretend that he cared? Or was there simply more that he wanted from Tony, more that he could use him for?

Considering the emotional strain on Tony, the way he _knew_ Obie was lying even though he sounded so _convincing_ when doing so, it was almost a relief when it seemed Ivan was just as done with it. “It’s over, anyway,” Ivan sneered, knife poking into Tony’s side a little harder. “You really think he’s gonna believe you after this? After finding out?”

The concern finally melted away, leaving a sneer. “I could’ve convinced him,” Obie told Ivan, sounding utterly and completely certain of himself. “I’ve managed that boy for _years_ \- a few more minutes, and he’d have been begging for my forgiveness for believing the lies of whoever told him.”

“Why?” It was almost a whisper now.

Obie rolled his eyes, all pretense of caring gone. “Because you were useful. And it was _easy_.”

Something withered and died inside Tony at that very moment. He’d honestly thought Obie cared about him, had _trusted_ the other Demon. Except, looking back, it was clear to see that most of it had been a lie, specifically designed to tailor to his need to be ~~loved~~ cared about by people. And Tony couldn’t help but hate himself a little for having been so weak, for not noticing.

“So now what?” he asked, voice even. It felt like his emotions had simply overloaded, leaving nothing except emptiness.

Huffing, Obie walked closer, hand moving to his side. When he moved it away again, Tony could see a knife that he guessed was very similar to the one pressed into his side. Not every weapon could kill a Demon, after all. “Now you’ve just lost your usefulness, and became a bit too detrimental to the rest of my plans. So I’m going to be very, very mournful tonight, when something you’ve been working on in your workshop ends up exploding. Not surprised - your stuff has a tendency of exploding, after all - but mournful.”

And really, he probably would have been better off not being honest with Tony. It was what he did best, after all. Because this meant that Tony had very little to lose.

Until a voice came from behind him. “Yeah, I don’t think so.”

Bucky sounded more dangerous than Tony had ever heard him, and he _knew_ it was supposed to be scary. Instead, it made him want to grab the other Demon and make him _growl_.

“What, two HYDRA rejects?” Obie asked, and Tony knew Natasha was there as well. “You really think anyone is going to believe you?”

“Funny thing,” Natasha purred, sounding absolutely lethal, “is that your Karma doesn’t actually lower whenever you kill someone with even less Karma than you do. And guess what?”

Despite the way he tried to appear in charge, Tony could see the flicker of fear in Obie’s eyes.

It spurred him into movement, lunging for Tony. Unfortunately, Tony was prepared for it, having banked his fire until this very moment.

The flash didn’t kill Obie - as another Fire Demon, it would have required far more power than Tony was willing to use, even after Obie’s betrayal. But it knocked him away, as well as Ivan. And considering that, as a Shadow Demon, he was far less capable of dealing with Tony’s powers, it damaged him far more, making him incapable of responding in time.

Both Bucky and Natasha lunged for Obie at the same time, stunning Tony with the rush of movement. He watched in astonishment as, in just about the same instant, two shadowy knives disappeared into Obie’s chest.

He snapped out of it just in time as another attack came - not from Obie or Ivan, but apparently Obie had more Demons hanging around that were willing to commit murder in order to keep going the way they had been. Although Tony would admit that he hadn’t expected Justin, considering the other Fire Demon had always been extremely intent on getting out of Hell. Knowing what he did now, working with Obie seemed like a terrible way to do that.

Bringing his hands up just in time, he managed a flash of fire that blinded Justin enough to enable Tony to get out of the way of his knife. He turned around, ready to fend off another attack, only to find Justin on the floor with an arrow sticking out of his shoulder. It wasn’t made of silver, which meant it wouldn’t be lethal, but it was more than obvious that it was hurting him.

Looking at Ivan, he could see that the Shadow Demon had two similar arrows sticking out of him, pinning him to the wall Tony had knocked him into.

Before Tony could start looking for the Demon responsible, a blond Shadow Demon dropped down right next to him. Although they’d never officially met, Tony recognized him from descriptions as Natasha’s friend, Clint. It really shouldn’t have surprised him, since Natasha had told him that her friend had a tendency of working with non-lethal arrows to incapacitate his enemies, though Tony also knew there were probably a few silver-tipped arrows in his quiver.

“Thanks,” he breathed, looking around warily to see if Obie had any more of his friends waiting in the wings. Beside him, he could tell Clint was doing the same, an arrow at the ready so he could shoot when he had to.

Tony’s attention was drawn to where Bucky and Natasha were standing over Obie, who was on the ground and gasping. The two wounds in his chest, right next to one another, were blackening. He looked around frantically, eyes finding Tony’s and remaining there. “Tony,” he gasped, “please…”

Almost outside of his control, he moved closer, vaguely noticing Clint following right behind him.

Despite everything that Obie had done, despite the fact that Obie had never actually cared about him, Tony _had_ cared. And he couldn’t quite forget about that, couldn’t simply watch as Obie died right in front of him.

He fell to his knees beside the Demon that he’d thought of as a parent. He couldn’t save Obie, and he didn’t even really want to, but he also didn’t want the other Demon to die alone. Didn’t want…

And then one of the knives in Obie’s chest was aimed at him, with the last of the Demon’s strength.

Gasping, Tony fell back. It wasn’t enough to evade the knife, not with how close he’d been sitting. But just before it hit him, a metal arm was extended in front of him, intercepting the weapon and knocking it off course.

Natasha, just as quick, clamped down on the wrist holding the knife, twisting until Obie had to let it fall to the floor.

Wide-eyed, Tony watched as he breathed out once more before his eyes dulled and his chest stopped moving. Sitting on the floor, looking at Obie, he couldn’t help but grieve for what he had thought had been there.

Although it was far, far too tempting to just keep sitting there, Tony was fortunately interrupted from doing so. “Tony?” Natasha asked him, as gently as he’d ever heard her. She didn’t ask him how he was doing, or any follow-up question at all. Instead, she waited for him to gather himself enough to respond to her.

It was impossible to find words, though. They all just seemed to slip away the moment he thought of them. So instead, he just got up, feeling utterly exhausted.

Immediately, there were two pairs of hands steadying him. He looked at both of them - Natasha standing on his left, supportive as always, and Bucky on his left, silent but steady. “I’m really sorry,” the taller Demon apologized, making Tony frown.

“Not your fault,” he sighed, though he did manage a grateful smile.

Bucky didn’t smile back, though, shaking his head instead. “It’s… I’m the one who told Natasha that I was suspicious of him. She… I know this is a terrible time, but I don’t wanna keep secrets, not with everything. She asked me to keep an eye out, so I did. I… I’m sorry, I kind of spied on you, between when we met and when Natasha left. It sounds kinda creepy like this, and like a huge invasion of your privacy, and it was, and I wanna apologize for that. And for… I know it’s not my fault, but I just… I care about you, and I hate that you’re hurting.”

At least it distracted Tony from his thoughts about Obie. He frowned, trying to sort through everything Bucky had just confessed to. And he knew the spying was uncool, knew he should be displeased with it, but… Well, he’d never claimed to be the sanest Demon in Hell.

“And after Natasha left? Was that just to keep an eye out, too?” was what he ended up responding, uncertain of the answer he wanted.

“Partially,” Bucky admitted. “Though I could’ve done that creeping from the shadows too, probably. But I just… I didn’t just want to _watch_ you. I wanted to talk to you, get to know you… Get close to you.”

“Why?” Tony asked, nearly breathless. He knew exactly what answer he wanted.

“Because you’re intriguing, and gorgeous, and vibrant, and so amazing that sometimes I’m just stunned looking at you,” Bucky replied, ice-blue eyes so sincere that Tony didn’t doubt him for a moment. “And I… I was hoping that, if we got to talkin’, and you got to know me as well, and maybe I could make a good impression… That you’d let me take you out sometime.”

While they’d been talking, Bucky had subtly maneuvered the two of them away from Obie, away from where Natasha and Clint were gathering up Ivan and Justin, giving them some privacy. Still, Tony caught the way Natasha smacked the back of Clint’s head when it looked like he was about to say something.

“I… You want to take me out? Really?” Tony couldn’t help but ask, hearing the hope in his own voice. He really, _really_ hoped this wasn’t a pity thing.

“Shades, yes,” Bucky told him sincerely. “I wanted to from the first moment I met you, to be honest.”

Giddy excitement bubbled up. Because Tony hadn’t expect that instant feeling of _connection_ to be reciprocated. He knew Bucky was attractive - only a blind Demon would’ve missed that fact - but getting to know him over the past sennights had made him fall even deeper, to the point where he was honestly wondering if this was what romantic love felt like.

“I… _Wow_ ,” was all he could respond, though it didn’t seem like Bucky minded. Instead, the other Demon was grinning right back at him.

“Just say ‘yes’!” Clint shouted from the other side of the room, far enough from Natasha that he could talk without her silencing him immediately. “I’ve been hearing about your pining for - ” Of course, it was still Natasha, and she was quick enough about getting to him that he couldn’t quite finish his sentence, but he’d said more than enough.

Tony tried his hardest to keep from blushing - nothing to be ashamed of, after all. Instead, he smiled at Bucky, clasping his metal hand tightly with both of his own. “I mean, of course I’d lo- really like to go out with you,” he admitted.

At that, Bucky let out an almost inaudible ‘yes’ before gathering Tony up in his arms. Happily, he hugged back, enjoying the feeling of safety he felt in the taller Demon’s arms (and the lovely play of muscles he could feel under his hold, although he made sure to keep his hands in decent places). Somehow, he didn’t think going out with Bucky would be a chore at all.

Not to mention that, after the day he’d had, he was beyond relieved to have something to look forward to.

☙ 🔥 ❧ 

It took time for the entire situation with Obadiah to die down. Of course, Bucky had known the Demon had some influence around Hell, but he hadn’t expected it to be so… wide-spread.

Fortunately, once they’d explained all of it to Steve, his old friend had been more than willing to help out. And while Bucky, Natasha and Clint didn’t really have much of a good reputation around Hell, and while Obadiah had done very well ruining any credibility Tony himself had, just about _everyone_ knew and trusted Steve.

His influence had done a lot of good, and while there were still some Demons around who doubted they’d heard the truth about what had happened - Bucky was aware that one of the main theories going around was that they’d lied to Steve, and he had naively believed them - a lot of them were starting to believe the truth. It helped that, with Obadaiah’s influence removed, Tony’s inventions had ‘miraculously’ stopped exploding or malfunctioning, which lent some definite credibility to their story.

Now that most other Demons were starting to believe, or at least were starting to doubt Obadiah’s trustworthiness, the looks thrown Tony’s way were more assessing than hostile, which meant he felt a lot more comfortable leaving his workshop than he had before.

Bucky hadn’t minded spending time with him in there, of course - he absolutely adored watching Tony work, and they could talk just as well in there as anywhere else. But he hadn’t forgotten about asking Tony out for a genuine date, and he wanted it to be something more special than just hanging out in the workshop and bringing food for the two of them.

So, with some help from a _very_ supportive Natasha (honestly, he was never underestimating how much she cared about Tony again) it was finally time to take him out for the kind of amazing date that he deserved.

Picking Tony up, Bucky couldn’t help his heart skipping a beat when he saw the other Demon. While Bucky had added a cloak (red, so it both matched his own horns as well as Tony’s powers) to his usual outfit, Tony looked… Well, absolutely _stunning_ was the only description that Bucky could come up with.

Even in his usual, casual workshop clothing, Tony looked great. But now, dressed mostly in red, with a golden waistcoat that accentuated both the horns on his head as well as an ass that Bucky wanted to worship for the rest of his days, he was beyond gorgeous.

Honestly, Bucky wasn’t even ashamed of staring for a few moments, allowing his thoughts to show on his face as he grinned suggestively.

Showing that he could keep up very well, Tony’s eyes roved over Bucky’s form, lingering on his chest and arms before moving to look up at Bucky. Tony had a grin on his own face. “Well, don’t you look good enough to eat?” he purred, stepping closer to Bucky with a seductive swivel of his hips.

For a brief moment, Bucky was tempted to drop the basket he was holding and just move to Tony’s bedroom instead. But then he remembered the contents of it, and the effort Natasha had put into getting the ingredients for Tony’s favorite dish - including excessive spices - and he knew she would murder him if he were to waste any of it because he couldn’t control himself. (Though, honestly, if she could _see_ the way Tony looked, she might be a little more understanding.)

“As much as I’d love to stay here and show you how much I’m likin’ the way you’re looking right now, I also _really_ wanna take you on that date I promised you,” Bucky drawled, grinning. “Not to mention Nat helped out, and she’d murder me if she found out I messed it all up.”

“Fine,” Tony sighed, a put-upon pout on his face. “Can’t have Natasha kill you, after all.”

Then, with a wink, he linked his arm into Bucky’s, fingers rubbing surreptitiously over his biceps. When Bucky narrowed his eyes sternly, he only grinned, no remorse on his face whatsoever.

Chatting casually about some of the inventions Tony had been working on - apparently he was having some struggles working on the battery he wanted - , Bucky led the way through Hell, moving them away from the commonly traveled paths. The more they moved away from the places where other Demons were, the more freely Tony spoke, bouncing beside Bucky as he explained how he’d been working on finding a metal that would work in his battery.

Listening attentively, Bucky occasionally asked questions for clarification. While he’d originally been afraid that Tony would roll his eyes at his stupidity, he’d soon come to find that Tony _loved_ answering questions, especially when someone actually wanted to know the answer. More importantly, he’d also never made Bucky feel like he was an idiot for not already knowing.

“Of course, that combination wasn’t working, but I was thinking if I could mix in some gold, it could…”

Bucky couldn’t help but smile when Tony trailed off beside him, looking at the cave he’d led the two of them to. It was a place he’d found soon after escaping HYDRA, and which he’d so far shared with no one else.

The pale glow that lingered throughout Hell brought out the shimmer of the gemstones in the rocks, and age had crafted stalactites that made the place look almost magical.

“Oh,” Tony breathed out softly, wonder in his eyes as he looked around.

“It’s been sort of a safe place for me, after… Well, after everything that happened. Whenever things became too much, this is where I used to go to feel… better, at least a little,” he explained, enjoying the astonishment on Tony’s face. “And then I met you, and you helped me out, and I started hanging out in your workshop, and I didn’t need it as much anymore. Not at all, really. And then there was that day - you remember, when you showed me your drawings of Earth?”

As Tony nodded, listening intently to what he was saying, Bucky put down the basket he’d been carrying.

“That was the day that I decided that I wanted to show you this place. That I wanted to share this with you. Because you… You’d become my safe place.”

Tony’s eyes were slightly misty, and his smile was soft with awe. Then, after opening and closing his mouth a few times without saying anything, he surged up to catch Bucky’s lips in a kiss that said everything that he couldn’t say. At that moment, Bucky _knew_ that he wasn’t the only one feeling this way, this _intently_.

And then he felt a hand grabbing his ass, startling him. Bucky grabbed Tony’s left hand, pulling it away while looking down at him. He tried to keep a stern look on his face, but he wasn’t able to keep it up for long when Tony only grinned up at him, unrepentantly.

Cracking up, he leaned down to kiss Tony again, releasing his hand and feeling utterly unsurprised when it landed right back on his ass. In return, his own hand slid lower and lower down Tony’s own back, making Tony laugh into the kiss when he groped the smaller Demon in return. Growling a little, Bucky pulled Tony closer, until he was a line of fire down Bucky’s front.

It took a while, after that, and some minutes straightening their clothes back into a semblance of respectability, before they could resume their planned date.

Digging around in the basket a bit, Bucky finally felt the surprise he’d been planning for Tony. “So, I… wanted to give you a gift. And I know they’re not perfect, but they’re… Well, I made them when thinking of you, because I wanted to give you something that reminded you of me, and they’re something that reminds me of you, and…”

Realizing that he wasn’t likely to stop stumbling over his words, and knowing there was no way to hide the fact that he _had_ brought Tony a present, he pulled out the flowers he’d bent from some of Tony’s leftover metal.

“Oh… Bucky…” Fortunately, despite the fact that they weren’t perfect, it was more than obvious that Tony loved them.

“I know they’re not perfect, but - ”

Before he could start again, Tony shook his head, smiling up at him earnestly. “Nothing is. No one is. That’s… That’s the beauty of flowers - they’re all different, and they’re all beautiful in their own way. And this… If they’d all been the same, every bend perfect, then they wouldn’t have been flowers. I… Honestly, I love them, exactly like this. Not perfect, but beautiful and unique.”

The softness of his voice and his eyes warmed Bucky from the inside, and he suspected that maybe Tony wasn’t only talking about the flowers.

Unable to help himself, he bent down to kiss Tony once again. This time, it remained soft, and the sincerity of it had his eyes watering just a little. And then he kissed Tony again. And again. And again.

And he found himself thinking that this must be what love felt like.

☙ 🔥 ❧ 

It took some time before Bucky, Natasha and Clint had enough Karma to be able to apply for rebirth. Steve and Tony didn’t mind, though - despite being Fire Demons, they’d gathered more than enough Karma that they were permitted to join the Shadow Demons for the Winter Equinox instead of having to be separated from their friends.

Years later, they all went to the Elysian Fields together as well.

☙ 🔥 ❧ 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it. Feel free to come check out my [Tumblr](https://eirlyssa.tumblr.com/) as well, and don’t hesitate to say ‘hi’ or ask anything if there’s anything you want to know ^_^


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